On Top of the Hen House -- Meet My Agent by Carmen Oliver from Following My Dreams...One Word at a Time. Peek: "...she wasn't exactly connecting with the main character. Hold everything. That's huge!" Note: feeling stuck? Do a careful read of Carmen's feedback and revision process.

Día Initiative Extends Its Literacy Outreach by Sally Lodge from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "(Pat) Mora decided to combine the idea of honoring children with literacy advocacy, a subject she is passionate about. She created Día, now a year-long, family literacy initiative based at the ALA’s Association of Library Services to Children."

Calling all cats! Model call! Send author-illustrator Ruth Sanderson a few photos of your cat - action is best - no more than three - and she might make him/her one of the cat characters in A Castleful of Cats (Random House, 2013). Be sure to include your cat's name, as Ruth will mention all the models on the dedication page. You'll also receive a free signed book, if she features your cat. Email photos to ruth at ruthsanderson dot com.

Cynsational Author-Blogger Tip: ask yourself, "What is the reader takeaway? How can the information I'm sharing apply to someone else's life/art/dreams?" Not every post will be a grand-slam, but just being more aware of readers will increase the odds of attracting/satisfying them.

A Thrilling Fantasy with Roots in Real Life: An Interview with R.L. LaFevers by Heather Seggel from BookPage. Peek: "While you won’t find assassin nuns in any history book, Ismae’s job
takes her to Brittany and Duchess Anne, who really did rule the region
at the ripe old age of 12. That the characters in this story are teens
is entirely faithful to the roles they occupied in society, “doing
really big, important, cool things” as military and political leaders."

Procrastination Means You Won't Get Things Done by Melissa Wyatt from And if I come to ledges... Peek: "There are plenty of other writers out there who are writing and getting
things done. So if you want to be one of those people, you must do this
on your own. There is simply no way around this."

Taming the Dreaded Synopsis by Jane Lebak from QueryTracker.netBlog. Peek: "...the synopsis is primarily a selling tool. It will give a quick overview
of your entire novel from soup to nuts, proving to the agents and
editors that you understand story structure, that your story has both a
plot arc and a character arc, and that you know how to pull together a
satisfying ending."

You Mean I've Got to Write Another One? by Sarah Davies from The Greenhouse Literary Agency. Peek: "You may have put months, if not years, into that first book; if you write
another you could be on a much tighter deadline and under contract. All
of which means the stakes can suddenly feel a whole lot higher."

To enter, comment on this post (click previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted
like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email
address. Or you can email Cynthia
directly with "Robot Zombie Frankenstein!" in the subject line.
Author-illustrator sponsored. Eligibility: U.S./Canada.
Deadline: 11:59 CST April 23.

Last call! Enter for a chance to win Angel BurnandAngel Fire, both by L.A. Weatherly (Candlewick, 2012). To enter, comment on this post (click immediately previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted
like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email
address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Angel Burn & Angel Fire" in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S./Canada. Deadline: midnight CST April 16.

Last call! Enter to win a signed copy of A Million Suns by Beth Revis (Razorbill, 2012)! To enter, comment on this post (click immediately previous link and scroll) and include an email address (formatted
like: cynthia at cynthialeitichsmith dot com) or a link to an email
address. Or email Cynthia directly with "Million Suns" in the subject line. Author-sponsored. Eligibility: U.S. only. Deadline: midnight CST April 17.

This tabletop decoration is a book bouquet made out of novels by fellow Austin children's-YA authors. Looking for a Central Texas venue for your celebration, workshop, or writers' retreat? Or just a lovely place to stay in South Austin? Check out The Writing Barn.

From Publishers Lunch: Greg Leitich Smith's "Little
Green Men at the Mercury Inn," about three friends at a motel in Cocoa
Beach, Florida, after a manned space launch at Kennedy Space Center is
scrubbed due to the appearance of a UFO over Cape Canaveral, to Deirdre Langeland at Roaring Brook Press, for publication in fall 2013, by
Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown (world English).

Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith will appear at A Festival of Authors, in celebration of 100 Years of School Libraries in Austin, which will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. May 12 at Reagan High School in Northeast Austin.

2 comments:

Cyn, Thanks for including me in your weekly round-up!! I'm truly honored. It's been an awesome journey to agent representation and I know there's so much more work to be done. I'm looking forward to it! Thanks to you and Greg both for all your support!!

Congratulations on the 12th annual St. Mary's Book Award!! And story time at Baby Earth with HOLLER LOUDLY. Those kids are in for a real treat!